


Runs In The Family

by AJ_illustrated



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Big Sister!Cass AU, Connected Drabbles, Gen, Series Rewrite, Sibling Fluff, There's so much fluff you guys, Will add tags as the story progresses, flangst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26463106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_illustrated/pseuds/AJ_illustrated
Summary: The relationship between brother and sister is a tricky one; sometimes playful, other times bitter and ruthless. But no one can deny that their bond is something special.In other words, an AU in which Cassandra and Varian are biological siblings.
Relationships: Cassandra & Quirin, Cassandra & Rapunzel, Varian & Cassandra, Varian & Quirin
Comments: 17
Kudos: 73





	1. Responsibility, part 1

**Author's Note:**

> So if you're on the Varian AU Discord, you've probably noticed me and others obsessing over this weird AU for the last couple of weeks. 
> 
> You knew this was coming. You KNEW.
> 
> Anyways, full disclosure: I am an easily-distracted writer and there is a strong chance that this story might go on a few unexpected hiatuses (especially considering I just started college and I'm currently working on an original webcomic). I love this AU and I want to see it through to the end, but that's probably gonna take a while.
> 
> With all that said, enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: None  
> Timeline: Varian is a newborn, Cassandra is eight years old.  
> Description: Varian is born, Cassandra gets used to the idea of being a big sister.

“Cassandra, we have a surprise for you.”

Usually when those words were spoken, it meant that Cassandra was in for a treat— maybe a new toy or a piece of candy. Sometimes it was less pleasant, like that time when Mom tried to make Cassandra wear the scratchy, ugly sweater Grandma had given to her for her birthday. In any case, it meant that something at least mildly interesting was going to happen, and that was enough to grab Cass’s attention.

Cassandra sat up a little straighter in her seat on the couch, setting aside her storybook of knights and princesses. “A surprise?”

Mom and Dad smiled at each other, sharing a look that meant they knew something she didn’t. Cassandra hated that look.

It was Dad who spoke first. “Your mother and I,” he started, giving his wife’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “We’ve decided to have a baby.”

Cassandra blinked. “You’re having a _what?”_

“In a few months, you’re going to have a little brother or sister!” Mom exclaimed, practically glowing with happiness. “Isn’t that exciting?”

Cassandra didn’t answer; she didn’t know a lot about babies, but what she did know was that they’re loud and smelly and annoying and _bothersome_ . Why anyone would _willingly_ decide to have one was a mystery.

“No thank you,” said Cassandra politely, picking up her book and returning to her page. Saint George was just about to slay that dragon—

A large hand gently shut the book; Cassandra looked up in indignation, meeting the eye of her father.

“Cassandra, this isn’t really your choice,” he said, not unkindly. “The baby is coming, whether you like it or not.”

Cass scowled, yanking her book out of her father’s hands. “Can’t you just keep it where it is? We don’t need a baby!”

Mom smiled, shaking her head softly. “Sorry sweetheart, but that’s just not how this works.” She reached forward, ruffling Cassandra’s hair. “The baby will take some getting used to, but you’ll _love_ them. I promise.”

*******

Mom was right about one thing: the baby _was_ going to take some getting used to. But Cassandra did not love it— not by a long shot.

For one thing, that stupid baby seemed to cause her mother an awful lot of pain when it arrived; Cassandra wasn’t allowed in to see what was going on, but judging from her mother’s screams and the blood Cassandra later spotted on the bed, it seemed like they had some kind of a fight, and the baby won.

It was days before Cassandra was able to get a good look at the thing; apparently, it was a boy, not that you could tell from his wrinkled, doughy face or high-pitched wail. It was another week before Mom and Dad decided on a name.

“Varian,” they’d announced together as they presented him to the King. Cassandra stood beside her parents, hands clasped neatly behind her back; Queen Arianna glanced at her during the ceremony and smiled, but beyond that, Cassandra may as well have been invisible.

Months passed, but the attention Varian received from Mom, Dad, their neighbors, and even perfect strangers never seemed to die down. People would stop them in the streets just to get a glimpse of Varian’s stupid, pudgy face or comment on how he had his father’s hair, or his mother’s eyes.

“Haven’t you _ever seen a baby??”_ Cassandra snapped one day at a woman who had insisted on interrupting Cassandra and her mother’s grocery shopping just to coo over Varian. What was so amazing about him, anyway? He couldn’t walk or talk or play games or do _anything—_ and Cass was supposed to _like_ him??

“Cassandra, I know this might be hard to understand right now,” Mom said tiredly as she set the groceries down on the kitchen table, gathering up a few chemical vials out to take down to her lab. “But you’re Varian’s big sister, and that means you need to start being a little nicer to him… and to everyone else, for that matter.” Mom grabbed a pair of goggles from the shelf and snapped them over her eyes before pulling on her heavy leather gloves. “Varian loves you a lot, y’know. I can tell.”

Cassandra scoffed. “Yeah? How?”

Mom winked. “I can’t explain it, honey. It’s just something you know deep in your heart. You’re siblings, which means you two have a special bond. You’ll learn all about it as you and Varian get older.”

Tying her apron strings with a flourish, Mom started gathering up ingredients in her arms. “I have to get these organized down in the lab… would you mind keeping an eye on Varian, sweetheart? Make sure he doesn’t try to wriggle out of his cradle.”

Before Cassandra could even open her mouth to object, Mom had disappeared into the basement, leaving her alone with… _him._

Cassandra turned her attention to the babbling, gurgly little worm in the cradle. He was laying on his back, rocking back and forth and spouting out random combinations of meaningless vowels. She wrinkled her nose; any creature that tried to chew on its own feet was clearly not fit to live around normal people. With a deep-set scowl, Cassandra scooped Varian up and held him at arm’s length, glaring daggers.

“You’re _really weird_ , you know that?” she spat, making sure to shoot Varian her fiercest look. Varian didn’t seem to get it, though— he cooed happily, burbling nonsense and really just confirming Cassandra’s insult. She frowned.

“How come you had to ruin everything, huh?” Cass muttered, setting Varian back down in his cradle. “Our family was just fine before _you_ showed up, y’know. This is all _your_ fault.”

Varian laughed, showing off a mouth full of gums. His baby blue eyes shone with delight as he reached a chubby hand towards Cassandra, flexing his tiny fingers like he was trying to grab her. 

Cass rolled her eyes. “What? What do you want?” _Yeesh,_ babies were confusing. “Are you hungry or something? Because Mom is busy and she’s probably not gonna come back upstairs for a while—“

Cassandra’s griping was suddenly cut short when she felt Varian’s tiny fist latch around her finger. He had a strong grip for such a little guy. 

“Heh… is that all you got, squirt?” Cass mumbled, feeling the beginnings of a smile start twitching at the corners of her mouth. “Don’t get cocky, I could beat you up if I wanted. You’re still just a baby.”

Cassandra paused, feeling startled by what she just said; that’s right. He was… just a baby.

The eight-year-old stared down at her brother, the gears whirring in her mind; Varian was a dumb baby who couldn’t defend himself— if somebody tried to hurt him, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, except maybe squeeze their finger. He was helpless, or at least he would be until he was old enough to take care of himself.

“You’re gonna need somebody to protect you, huh?” Cassandra whispered, rubbing the back of Varian’s hand with her thumb. “Is that my job?”

…Is this what being a big sister was? 

Varian giggled in response, bringing his tiny fist to his mouth and gnawing on it curiously. Cassandra cracked a grin.

_‘Dumb baby.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first few chapters of this story are going to be shameless fluff, to ease you into a false sense of security before it hits you with the angst. Fun times!
> 
> I'm not planning on a set update schedule, but I will try to update as frequently as I can.
> 
> Comments are a fic writer's lifeblood! Tell me what you think!


	2. Responsibility, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: None  
> Timeline: Varian is two years old, Cassandra is ten.  
> Description: Cassandra's mother is gone, but she doesn't have much time to grieve.

One year.

One year since Mom had left home. Since that strange woman had come to their house, telling Cassandra’s mother about a special library and the seven trials they’d have to complete to be let in. One year since Mom had kissed Cassandra on the forehead, telling her to be a good girl and assuring her that she’d be back soon.

One year.

(one year, four months and two days, but who’s counting.)

 _‘Not that it even matters,’_ Cassandra thought bitterly, lugging a fresh bucket of goat’s milk into the house. It had been nearly three weeks since that strange woman had returned, handing Dad a beat up old notebook and quietly informing them that Ulla wouldn’t be coming back. Cassandra had understood immediately, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks; Mom was gone.

Cassandra gritted her teeth. _‘Not gone. Dead. She’s dead and she’s not coming back.’_

Dad had been… well, he hadn’t been doing very well since he heard the news. Some days, he wouldn’t even go out into the fields— he’d just sit and stare at the family portrait for hours, not speaking, hardly moving. Cassandra, on the other hand, preferred to stay busy… anything to distract from the gnawing, empty hole in the pit of her stomach. 

The only member of the family who didn’t seem upset by all this was Varian. He wasn’t even a year old when Mom had left, and Cassandra supposed that he was too young to even remember her— at least not anything important.

(Cassandra’s mother smelled like rosemary, the good kind that they used to grow in the garden but had let wither after she had gone—)

A loud _crash_ sounded from the living room; speak of the devil…

Cassandra rushed in and immediately wished she hadn’t, wedged between the now-split floorboards, just below where it had previously been mounted on the wall, was her father’s axe. The one who had knocked it off the wall was standing frozen on a stepladder, a bewildered look on his young face.

 _“Varian!”_ Cassandra shrieked, storming over to where the boy stood and yanking the axe out of the floor. “How many times do we have to tell you?? If we put it up high, that means you _aren’t allowed to touch it!”_

Cassandra hefted the axe back onto its pegs and turned to face her little brother, scowling. “You could have gotten really hurt! _Why_ were you touching Daddy’s axe??”

Varian blinked, pointing a finger towards the fireplace— no, not the fireplace, the near-empty stack of firewood next to it. For a moment, Cassandra’s anger was replaced by a twinge of guilt… she was supposed to chop firewood this morning, but she had been putting it off all day. The axe was heavy and the wood gave her splinters, and— 

“I wanna help you,” Varian said quietly, shuffling his feet in discomfort. “You an’ Daddy are so sad now, an’ I wanna make you not sad anymore.”

Cassandra’s heart sank. “Varian, that’s not… we’re fine, okay?” she said, grabbing hold of Varian and lifting him off the stepladder, crouching down to meet his eye. “You don’t have to try to… _fix_ anything. It’s not your problem.”

Varian stares at her with a look of discernment that seemed… unnatural on a child his age. Cassandra steeled her jaw; she couldn’t tell if he was going to throw a tantrum or run to Dad or start crying, or… 

_‘Oh geez, how do I do this… please don’t cry, Varian, PLEASE don’t cry…’_

(Mom would know what to do. Mom always knew what to do.)

...

(what would Mom do?)

Before Cassandra could register what was happening, Varian had wrapped his chubby arms around her neck and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her with as much strength as a two-year-old could manage. 

“Are you sad ‘bout Mama?”

Cassandra opened her mouth to answer, but found that her voice refused to cooperate; hot, biting tears dripped down her cheeks, and all she could do was nod. 

(why was she crying? she can’t cry now, not in front of Varian—)

“Daddy’s sad ‘bout Mama too,” Varian whispered, nuzzling his face into Cassandra’s shoulder. “Did you love her a lot?”

Despite Cassandra’s best efforts, tears were pouring freely down her face now, staining her eyes a puffy red and making her head hurt. Cassandra nodded, biting down on her tongue to keep from whimpering.

“Y-yeah,” Cassandra replied so quietly she could barely hear herself. “Yeah, I did.”

“Oh.” said Varian. “Okay.”

There was silence for a moment as Varian hugged his sister ever tighter.

“I love you, Cassie. Please don’ be sad.”

Cassandra sucked in her breath; a bark of laughter erupted out of her sobs, the first laugh she’d had since finding out that her mother wasn’t coming home. Why was she laughing? She didn't want to laugh. It felt… weird.

But a good weird.

Cassandra pulled away from the hug, wiping her tear-stained cheeks on her sleeve. “I love you too, Varian,” she said hoarsely. “Go get the broom, okay? We still have to clean up the floor where the axe made it splinter.”

Varian nodded and toddled off to retrieve the broom, Cassandra watching him with a bittersweet smile; Varian didn’t remember their mother, and that was fine. Her death would never bring him pain, at least not in the way it did for Cassandra.

(Mom wouldn’t have wanted him to be in pain.)

(she wouldn’t have wanted that for Cassandra, either.)

Cassandra took a deep breath, steadying her nerves; she couldn’t help the way she felt about losing Mom… but she _could_ keep Varian from having to feel that same kind of hurt. At least for now.

“Got it!” Varian chimed, reappearing with the broom in hand.

Cassandra smiled. “Good job, Varian. Now let’s get this cleaned up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter, but this was really just here to establish that Ulla is no longer in the picture and that Cass might be taking on a little too much responsibility for such a young age. (and to clarify that yes, the 7K AU is canon here! It won't be too relevant to the rest of the story, but I love that AU so much and I just had to include it)
> 
> As usual: please comment your thoughts below!


	3. Shelter From The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: None  
> Timeline: Varian is four years old, Cassandra is twelve.  
> Description: Cassandra comforts Varian during a thunderstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you on the Varian AU Discord will probably recognize this one- it's actually the first Big Sister!Cass drabble I ever wrote. But this is where it fits in the timeline, so... c'est la vie.

A sharp crack of thunder jolted Cassandra out of her sleep, and the lightning bolt that followed it lit up the night to be bright as day.

Cassandra frowned; while thunderstorms were commonplace in the spring, that didn’t mean she looked forward to them. Helping Dad on the farm was strenuous enough, even with a good night’s rest. 

She turned over in bed, trying to ignore the pounding rain outside her window. A second thunderclap made this all the more difficult, and after a few more fruitless minutes of attempting to fall back asleep, Cassandra finally gave up trying. Tossing away the covers, she ambled over to her desk in the corner where she had left the book of sword techniques Dad had given her for her birthday. If she wasn’t going to sleep, then she refused to be bored. 

Even with the consistently occurring cracks of lightning, it was far too dark to read, and the candles were kept in the closet down the hall— hopefully she could retrieve one without tripping over her own feet in the dark. Creaking open her bedroom door, Cassandra tiptoed out into the pitch-black hallway, careful not to step on the squeaky floorboard as she crept further towards the closet.

The sudden rumbling of thunder once again sounded from outside, sending a shiver down Cassandra’s spine as the lightning flashed and made her cringe; if their house wasn’t made of solid stone, she’d be afraid that the wind and rain would tear their home to shreds. But it had stood for generations, and a little spring storm wasn’t going to do them any harm—

A soft, high-pitched whimper struck Cassandra’s ear, and for a moment, she almost mistook it for the whistling of the wind. But another clap of thunder and the increased hammering of the rain outside made the whimper grow ever louder, until Cassandra could no longer excuse it as being anything else. 

Silently, Cassandra padded over to her brother’s door, pushing it open just a crack. Sure enough, curled on the bed and cowering beneath the blankets was the form of her four-year-old brother, his tiny body shaking with sobs and flinching at every flash of lightning.

“...Varian?”

The boy didn’t respond, only drawing his blankets tighter around himself as the wind roared from outside his window. Cassandra bit down on her lower lip; Varian, though always curious about the world around him, always seemed to be on edge whenever thunder and lightning got involved. Most nights, he’d just run to Dad’s room and bury his face in their father’s chest until the storm quieted down, but tonight it looked like Varian was too terrified to even move.

Before Cassandra could bother to think it through, she had thumped across the room and climbed into Varian’s bed, kneeling across from him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He immediately latched onto her, clinging to Cassandra’s hand like a lifeline.

“C-Cass… _Cassie_ , I d-don’t…” he hiccuped, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks. “Cassie, the _th-thunder_ , it… _Cassie—”_

“Hey… hey, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Cassandra soothed, pulling Varian closer to her. “It’s just a bunch of rain, there’s nothing to be scared of.”

This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Varian once again burst into tears and hugged Cassandra so tightly she thought she might burst. Okay, so he was scared… _really_ scared… what was he supposed to do to _stop_ being scared?

“Hey Varian? Varian, look at me,” Cassandra said gently, cupping her brother’s face in her hands. Reluctantly, his quivering blue eyes met her steady gray ones, and Cassandra smiled. “Can you answer a question for me?”

After a moment, Varian nodded, and Cassandra pressed on. “How come ice floats in water?”

Cassandra could see the gears turning in Varian’s overactive little mind; he had learned to read only a few months ago, and already he had flown through all the books meant for children his age. He would devour any book he came across, and recently, there was a sale at the booksellers for a stack of scientific textbooks, meant for students at the university in the capital. Dad had picked up a few of them, hoping to save them until Varian was old enough to understand, only to find his young son curled up in front of the fireplace reading about hydrogen and photosynthesis and whatever else was crammed into those dull old things. He wouldn’t stop there, either— Varian would regularly bombard his father and sister and anyone else in earshot with science facts he’d memorized from reading and rereading his beloved textbooks.

Cassandra personally didn’t see the appeal— it was a little interesting to know how things like the seasons worked, but for the most part, it all felt like such a waste of time. She’d rather be out playing or helping Dad on the farm than be stuck learning about imaginary things like cell particles. But it made Varian happy, and right now, that was all she cared about.

After thinking it over for a moment, Varian finally answered. “W-well…” he started, his voice still shaking from the tears. “In… in the _Principle of A-Archimedes,_ it says that… that the force of an ob… object equals the weight of disp-placed water…”

“What does displaced mean?” Cassandra knew what it meant. Varian must have explained it to her a thousand times.

The corners of his mouth quivered into a smile. “It… it means it gets pushed outta the way,” he said, clearly proud to be so knowledgeable on the subject. “B-but you gotta think about _density_ too! Since ice isn’t as dense as water, the weight of a piece of ice that’s underwater wouldn't be as much as the weight of water it displaces,” Varian was beginning to speak much faster now, a sign that he was getting more comfortable. “So the force going up is more than the weight pushing it down, an’ the ice gets pushed to the surface. A-And boats float ‘cuz of this too, ‘cuz they also displace a lot of water! I think it’d be cool if somebody built a boat outta ice, but they’d hafta wait till next winter ‘cuz it’s getting too hot now and all the ice would melt—”

A sudden crack of thunder jolted Varian out of his rambling and he once again clung to Cassandra, threatening to burst into frightened tears. Cassandra hugged him tightly, then had him look her in the eye.

“Tell me about boats. What do you know about boats?”

Cassandra couldn’t say how long she and Varian stayed up, Varian rambling away in his toddler lisp about every scientific fact he had so proudly learned, and Cassandra listening, prompting him on at times and holding him close when the thunder got too loud or the lightning too bright. Before she knew it, early morning sunshine was streaming through the rain-streaked windows and Varian was asleep in her lap, a contented smile gracing his freckle-spotted face.

There were times when Cassandra didn’t mind being a big sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff! So much fluff! So fluffy you could DIE!
> 
> (I promise, there will eventually be a real plot. Just let me have this.)
> 
> Anyways, y'all know the drill: please leave a comment and I'll see you in the next update!

**Author's Note:**

> The first few chapters of this story are going to be shameless fluff, to ease you into a false sense of security before it hits you with the angst. Fun times!
> 
> I'm not planning on a set update schedule, but I will try to update as frequently as I can.
> 
> Comments are a fic writer's lifeblood! Tell me what you think!


End file.
